Neighbors are a Blessing Unless They Happen to be Sakata Gintoki
by Painted in Silver
Summary: Tsukuyo just moved into a new neighborhood with her sister, Hinowa. She's looking forward to a fresh start and the first few days are quiet and peaceful, until she meets her new neighbor; Sakata Gintoki. "I just moved in and we didn't exactly get off on the right foot" modern AU. Rated for language - First time writing fanfic, I'm sorry More to come c:
1. Chapter 1

"You just moved next door to me and we didn't exactly get off on the right foot" AU

CH. 1

They lived in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of town, not many people around or very much to do, but everybody knew each other and got along. The days were long and peaceful and most everybody in the neighborhood considered everyday to be a lazy Sunday. That was until someone suddenly moved into the neighborhood and started uproar around the small community. The first day Tsukuyo moved in, most of the people on the street were very welcoming and helpful, not that Tsukuyo needed it. But she wouldn't complain, it wasn't so bad after all. Her first few days were spent unpacking with the unneeded but insisted help of several of her new neighbors, and although she wouldn't admit it, Tsukuyo was growing rather fond of the new neighborhood. Though there was one neighbor in particular that stood out to her, and not in a good way. One of the only people on the block who ignored her arrival and didn't make any effort to introduce himself, and he was her neighbor. Sakata Gintoki. _I'll have to introduce myself to them later then_ Tsukuyo thought and continued unpacking her new home.

A few days passed, and Tsukuyo began to feel at home in her new home. Of course, Hinowa, Tsukuyo's wheelchair-bound sister, had helped hang decorations and arrange the basic set up. Tsukuyo had begun planting flowers outside their new home to give it the official look when she spotted him. Well, a slight glimpse of him, but it was something. A tall, lean man with white hair slipping into the house next door. A young red haired girl dressed in red closely followed the man into the house. _That man has kids? He looked kinda young…_ Tsukuyo slowly stood and walked over to the suspected mans house next door. _What am I even going to say to him? It's just an introduction; all neighbors should introduce themselves to each other when they move in, right?_ Tsukuyo didn't really have a plan as she knocked on her neighbor's door. And waited. And waited. _Damn it I know you're home asshole!_ Tsukuyo was close to leaving as the door opened and the young girl she saw earlier greeted her. "Err…" Tsukuyo started awkwardly, not knowing exactly what she should say, "I'm Tsukuyo, I just moved in next door with my sister" … The young girl said nothing and continued to stare at her, as if trying to get information out of her. Several seconds that seemed like an eternity passed before a yell was heard from inside the house, "Who is it, Kagura? If it's the magazine salesman again tell him I'm not home!" The young girl, now identified to Tsukuyo as 'Kagura', turned and yelled back to the man "It's the pretty lady that moved in next door a few days ago. Come say hello Gin-chan!" and with that, Kagura darted back inside and reappeared moments later, but dragging the tall man by the arm. Tsukuyo was a bit nervous, to say the least. The man in front of her looked to be about the same age, perhaps a few years older, and was fairly attractive, Tsukuyo observed. The man scratched the back of his head and looked at her "I'm Gin-san, and I run this place, despite what she says" Gintoki flicked the back of Kagura's head and added, "If you need anything, please reconsider, unless you're willing to pay. Once a money is involved, just tell me what you want and consider it done." Gintoki winked at her and walked back into his house, finger in his ear and mumbling something inaudible. Tsukuyo was shocked, to say the least. _Oh great, I moved in next door to an asshole. And the hell was that wink about? Is he a pervert as well?_ Tsukuyo found herself rubbing her temples gently from the thought. Kagura's voice snapped her out of her thoughts however, "Don't mind him, he's always like that. He's just a lonely MADAO most of the time." "R-right… I'll keep that in mind, thanks." Tsukuyo began to back away from the girl, heading back to her own home. Halfway down the steps, Tsukuyo yelled back to the girl "Feel free to visit any time." _Shit. What have I just gotten myself into?_ Tsukuyo cursed to herself as soon as the words came out of her mouth. She quickly crossed the yard and entered her own home, shutting the door a little harder than intended.


	2. Chapter 2

CH. 2

Cool evening air chilled the streets and Tsukuyo walked towards her home, grocery bags in both hands and a cigarette in her mouth. She had only lived in the neighborhood for a few weeks, but she was already beginning to feel at home. _I'm gonna have to start looking for a new job in the area, too. Perhaps I should ask around?_ Tsukuyo stepped up to her door and set the rather full bags on the ground, reaching in her pocket for the key. Walking in, she set the bags on the counter and called out "I'm home, Hinowa! Could you help put some things away?" … There was no response. "Hinowa?" She yelled again, but her only response was the low grumble of a car passing outside. Tsukuyo froze, and she sprinted across the house in concern for her sister. _Did she go out? I mean she's not chained to the house or anything, but it would be hard for her to-_ her thoughts were cut short as the front door opened, she could hear talking but couldn't make out what they were saying. She let out a breath of relief when she recognized Hinowa's voice and slowly made her way into the front room to greet her sister. "Where'd ya go, Hino-" Tsukuyo began as she turned the corner, but stopped abruptly.

Hinowa was indeed home, but she did not expect to see none other than her asshole silver-haired neighbor with her. Hinowa stopped her conversation with the man and turned to Tsukuyo, "oh, you're already home! I was sitting outside when I saw this young man wandering about. I called him over and he invited me to his place for tea." Tsukuyo couldn't believe it. This guy wasn't as much as an asshole as she thought. Tsukuyo walked over to them and added to the conversation, "I just got home from shopping myself, I was just about to put things away actually, do you mind helping Hinowa?". Hinowa smiled up from her wheelchair "Not at all!" she turned her wheelchair in the direction of abandoned groceries but looked back at the man in the doorway, "Thanks, Gin-san! I had a wonderful time, I'll talk to Tsukuyo about it and get back to you tomorrow!" With that, Gintoki smiled at her and turned to leave while calling over his shoulder, "No problem, I look forward to it~" And with that, the door was shut once again. Hinowa picked up a bag from on the counter and began emptying its contents. Tsukuyo slowly walked over to put away more groceries, and it was quiet. Almost too quiet. Until Hinowa broke the silence, "That's the handsome young man that lives next door, have you met him yet? You two would get along great." Tsukuyo looked over to the older girl, listening and not sure how to respond. Hinowa continued, "He told me about the area and some things to watch out for. He's also the go-to guy when people need help with stuff. Ya know, with appliances, lost animals, you name it! He offered to take you out tomorrow to show you around." Tsukuyo nearly choked when she heard that. She almost yelled her disapproval, "W-why the hell would I need to be shown around? I'm perfectly capable of finding my way around myse-" Hinowa cut her off, "You are, and I don't question that. But he could be of real help in the future, don't you think? You need to make friends, and he seems to be around your age. Why not give it a shot?" Tsukuyo felt her cheeks beginning to burn, from what she wasn't sure, probably frustration with the whole subject. Seconds felt like minutes, and Tsukuyo finally sighed and actually began thinking about Hinowa's suggestion. _Sure I want to get to know people, but_ him _of all people? Hell no, I'd rather…_ _rather what? I guess it couldn't be_ that _bad, perhaps we just got off on the wrong foot?_ "Fine, I'll go. But only this once!" Hinowa simply hummed her approval and ignored that last bit. They continued sorting out their groceries and decided to call it a night.

Tsukuyo woke with a start. The sound of cars starting up still startled her in the mornings. She had moved into a busy neighborhood from the countryside, after all. All this hustle and bustle was new to her, though she was starting to grow used to, and somewhat fond, of her new environment. She got up and wordlessly got dressed before moving into the main living room, not bothering to put her hair up. She covered her mouth as she yawned, and Hinowa was already at the stove on the far side of the room. "Been up long?" Tsukuyo asked across the room, but she already knew the answer. Hinowa didn't have her hair up in her usual bun and she was fixing breakfast. "Nah. Do you want eggs?" Tsukuyo made a sound in approval and walked over to help her, only to be shooed away by the other woman. "You go get ready for later" she insisted, which make Tsukuyo remember her plans for the day. _Damn it, why did I agree to that?_

Tsukuyo made her way back into her bedroom to straighten herself up. She put her hair up and paused for a second, wondering if she should change into something nicer. _Wait… It's not like it's a date or anything, so why should I?_ She remained clad in her usual clothes, but grabbed a long jacket from her closet. If she recalled correctly, it was supposed to be slightly chilly with a chance of rain today. But with the chance for rain low, she made her way back into the main room without grabbing her umbrella.

When she walked back into the main living room, a plate of eggs and toast greeted her at the table. She took her seat and Hinowa wheeled up to sit next to her, the two of them enjoyed their breakfast without speaking. Tsukuyo grabbed the empty plates and made her way to their sink when someone knocked at the door. Confused, she brushed it off when she saw Hinowa going to answer the door. She heard the door open and some talking, but couldn't tell who it was. It was early, so she thought it was a newspaper service or something. They had stuff like that here, right? She finished the dishes and neatly stacked them back in the cupboard. Tsukuyo turned around to join her sister at the door, only to freeze in her spot when she saw who was standing in the doorway. Though it wasn't much of a surprise considering they _were_ going out later, but this early? _And wait, how the hell did he know that she agreed to go? Did he just hope to get lucky or something? Damn this permy asshole._

Tsukuyo slowly made her way over to join in their conversation, but just to her luck they had stopped talking when the blonde stepped up. Hinowa smiled up at her sister and whispered a "good luck, have fun!" before retreating back into the main room. _What? Good luck with what? How the hell am I supposed to have fun with this guy around?_ The man in front of her opened the door and gestured for her to go first. _Oh, so now you're being a gentleman. The hell has changed in the past week?_ Tsukuyo walked out the door, stealing a quick look back at Hinowa who was in the main room, smiling ear to ear and- was she _giggling?_ I brief thought occurred to her that Hinowa had set this whole thing up, but that thought was quickly gone as the door shut.

Here she was, forced to spend a day with her asshole neighbor who was going to 'show her around town' and supposedly help her get used to the area. She sighed and looked up to the sky, grey clouds covered sun and moved slowly across the sky. The silver haired man's voice snapped her out of the moment, and she turned to look at him, "Lets get going, shall we?"


	3. Chapter 3

AN;; Sorry about the delay! Ch.4 will be up within a week!

CH. 3

Tsukuyo was pissed, and that was an understatement. She wasn't much of a morning person, but that was hardly the problem at the moment, oh no. But her anger was probably due to her current situation, in which she was clinging to her neighbor as if her life had depended on it. Tsukuyo had never been on a motorcycle before, they had always seemed too loud and pointless to her. But the permy man she was holding onto seemed to thing differently. Not that she was judging him, everyone likes different things, right? Her biggest problem was that the man drove like a _madman._ The bike had come to a stop at a stoplight, and Tsukuyo took the chance to yell at the man in front of her, "what the hell do you thing 'yer doing?" to which Gintoki nonchalantly replied back "driving, what else?" If she could rub her temples at the moment, she would. But right now she was too afraid of _falling_ , so she dared not let go.

After what seemed like an eternity but was really just a few minutes, the two had arrived in the middle of a small town. Gintoki had parked his motorcycle in a parking lot at the far end of the small town, and was now leading Tsukuyo down a sidewalk along the main road.

She heard Gintoki giving his tour-guide descriptions of each building they past, but she wasn't really listening as she was more aimlessly following him, taking in the sights of the new city. She turned to look at the man she was following and took in his appearance. She had not been this close to him before today, and she was just noticing simple things about him. Like how broad his shoulders were, or how his shockingly white hair curled in every which way, more so than she had originally thought, or how bright his crimson eyes were. _Wait, eyes? The hell?_ Gintoki had stopped his rambling and was looking at her, and Tsukuyo cursed to herself as she realized that she was indeed staring at the man.

 _Shit, how long have I been staring at him…_ Tsukuyo shook her head and quickly glanced around, desperately looking for something to point out. Low and behold, the angels were singing above, as she spotted a plant store across the street. "w-what's that? Over there?" Tsukuyo tried to stay calm but ended up stuttering like a middle school girl, her finger jabbing at the air in the direction of said plant store. Gintoki seemed to shrug off her suddenly weird behavior and shifted his gaze across the street.

There was a small old looking store at the corner of the street opposite them. Gintoki blinked a few times before he glanced back to Tsukuyo, who was a nervous wreck. Closing his eyes and scratching the back of his head, Gintoki sighed and walked towards the crosswalk. Tsukuyo caught up to him and walked beside him, her eyes glued to the ground and not daring to look at the man. Crossing the street, Tsukuyo's eyes lit up as she got closer to the building. It was small but comforting and looked pretty old. Walking into the building, it seemed to be much larger than the outside made it to be, and the smell of plants was almost overwhelming.

Gintoki watched as Tsukuyo glanced over everything the store had to offer, but what surprised Gintoki the most about this whole situation was the actual genuine smile on Tsukuyo's face. Tsukuyo turned to glance back at her neighbor, only to find the man staring at her. Flustered, Gintoki quickly shook his head and walked past her, not looking at her. He walked to the back of the store where an old woman was sitting behind a counter.

Tsukuyo watched him and heard them talking, but couldn't make out their conversation and decided to let it be for now. She went back to looking around and occasionally picking up a few pots. Truth be told, Tsukuyo loved flowers and anything associated with them. Their small but extravagant designs and simple beauty amazed her and she loved placing them in and around her home, and she had yet to do so around her new home. She made a mental note to come back and pick out a few to take home some other day.

Gintoki's voice made her jump and she looked up to see him standing a little too close her. Tsukuyo took a step back and waited for the man to say something, but Gintoki only shoved a piece of paper into her hands without a word. Confused, Tsukuyo read the paper and was surprised to say the least.

Gintoki had handed her a job application to the store, and when she looked up to him he was staring at something on the other side of the store, but muttered "You were gonna look for a job, right? Why not try here." Tsukuyo glanced to the back of the store where the old woman was sitting behind the counter.

The lady only winked at her and went back her work, and Tsukuyo turned back to Gintoki. Said man was already half way out the door, and she hurried to catch up to him. She folded the paper and put it into her purse before she caught up to is side. Gintoki didn't say anything, and didn't even offer a glance at her, and just kept walking down the street.

Tsukuyo looked at the sky. Dark clouds had covered the sky and she could feel an occasional sprinkle of rain on her face. She gasped when she bumped into Gintoki, she wasn't watching where she was going and hadn't seen him stop at the crosswalk. The taller man looked over at her with a small smirk on his face, "You've gotta be careful in the city, 'ya know? There are lots of cars 'n things around here."

Tsukuyo rolled her eyes, and she was biting back a harsh comment but decided against it, seeing as how he had just potentially gotten her a new job. She sighed, looking out across the street and the passing cars. The crosswalk sigh light up, and she followed Gintoki across the street and continued their quiet- and quick- tour around the town.

Tsukuyo cursed under her breath. In the beginning, the whole walking around town thing seemed like a good idea- and even maybe a little fun, though she wouldn't admit it. Though as a sprinkle turned into a heavy storm, she quickly rethought this outing as anything but 'fun'.

And so the young woman was stuck with her asshole of a neighbor in a small coffee shop, soaking wet from being caught in the rain and completely and utterly pissed at not only herself but at the taller man next to her who only seemed to be smiling and laughing to himself.

It would be fine if the man had a normal car, Tsukuyo thought, but no. He wasn't a normal man to begin with, as she had earlier suspected. He had to have a motorcycle and drive like he was in the apocalypse. She slowly rubbed her temples at the thought.

Being a young woman around the age of 25, one would think that getting caught in the rain would be exciting and fun, especially with a handsome man by your side. But as Tsukuyo quickly figured out, it was actually hell.


End file.
